Page 268 - A Call for a Turkish-Islamic Union

A CALL FOR A TURKISH-ISLAMIC UNION

Thoughts on the Cost of Invading Iraq q
Thoughts on the Cost of Invading Ira
Many statistical studies conducted in America about the
costs of invading Iraq reveal that besides the direct costs, there
are serious other implications that need to be considered. For in-
stance, the study by Senator Joseph Biden, chairman of the U.S.
Foreign Relations Committee, puts this cost at $100 billion. Biden
also stated that another $50 billion would be needed to rebuild

Iraq, and that the total cost would be more like $150 billion. At
present, it appears that the invasion was successful and that
everything has been contained within the estimated limits.
However, this will not cause the tragedies experienced during
the war to be forgotten and does not justify using these resources
for this war instead of the American people's prosperity.

The $100 billion cost is not considered a significant amount
by the hawks. However, it is three times the education budget for
children aged between 0 and 12, four times the country's foreign
relations budget, and able to cover the health costs of all
American children without health insurance for 5 years. This is
indeed a thought-provoking fact: That this amount of money is
spent on an invasion that costs the lives of thousands of people
instead of used to increase the living standards of all Americans.

However, given that these estimated costs have been calculated
based on ideal conditions, many retired military and defense ex-
perts say that the costs will spiral, considering the potential risks
of the post-invasion period.
Past American wars have shown that the costs of these wars

far exceeded the planned amount. For instance, the Secretary of
the Treasury in Lincoln's cabinet estimated the cost of the Civil
War for the North would be $240 million; in fact, the actual cost
was 13 times higher ($3.2 billion). In the 1966 budget, $10 billion

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